Maximilian and the Lucha Libre Club: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller

by Xavier Garza (Illustrator)

Overview

Max seems like any other nerdy kid until he's asked to join the ranks of royalty, the Lucha Libre Club.

The fights still rage on in the third installation of Max's Lucha Libre Adventures series. Max seems like any other nerdy kid until he's asked to join the Lucha Libre Club. The super-secret club admits only the offspring of wrestling royalty. And Max is a prince, descended through his mother from royal blood, his uncle the very king of lucha libre: The Guardian Angel. Trouble is, the club is so secret that Max can't tell his best friend or girlfriend what he is up. Just that vexing Paloma.

Xavier Garza lives in San Antonio, Texas.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781941026403
Publisher:	Cinco Puntos Press
Publication date:	10/25/2016
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley, author and luche libre aficionado Xavier Garza is a prolific author, artist, and storyteller whose work focuses primarily on his experiences growing up in the small border town of Rio Grande City. Garza has exhibited his art and performed his stories in venues throughout Texas, Arizona and the state of Washington. Garza lives in San Antonio, Texas with his wife Irma and their young son Vincent.

Garza is author and illustrator of several lucha libre picture books for children. His lucha libre middle grade series began in 2005 with Lucha Libre: The Man in the Silver Mask and quickly became a hit among children and lucha libre fans. Lucha Libre won an Honor Book, Américas Award and a STARRED REVIEW from Críticas Magazine.

His second bilingual lucha libre cuento, Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel, was chosen as a 2012 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book.

This is the third book in the series.

Editorial Reviews

“Garza excels at writing scenes full of awesome luchador action and high-octane antics. … Pretty darn good fun.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An unfailingly entertaining read.” —Children’s Bookwatch

“This energetic follow-up to Maximilian and the Mystery of the Guardian Angel (2011), a Pura Belpré Honor Book, will be hard to wrestle from readers’ hands.” —Booklist Online, Starred Review

“… elements of tween romance, wish fulfillment, and adventure.” —The Horn Book Magazine

Highly recommended, particularly for bilingual collections and where the author’s books are popular. School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
Gr 3–7—Maximilian is back in this third book in the series. Wrestling with keeping his lucha libre life and his feelings for Cecilia, the girl of his dreams, a secret, Max doesn't think his life can get any more complicated. When Paloma, the only friend who knows that Max's uncle is the great Guardian Angel—the greatest luchador of all time—moves away, Max doesn't know whom he will be able to talk to about lucha libre. He receives a ticket and backstage passes to attend the Big Brawl in Los Angeles and travels with his uncles and Vampiro Velasquez. He is quickly inducted into the Lucha Libre Club—a group for kids who are related to luchadores—which Paloma is a part of. With the help of Vampiro Velasquez, who provides valuable life lessons as well as instruction on wrestling techniques, the protagonist discovers what makes the Guardian Angel more than just a man in a mask. Written in English and Spanish, this story is filled with excitement and addresses the problems and everyday worries of kids like Max. Illustrations accompany each chapter, and all readers, including reluctant ones, will find something to interest them; the addition of the female luchadoras and their young relatives is a nice touch. Readers of all ages will discover wisdom within the story, especially in the character of Vampiro Velasquez, who reminds us that time passes for everyone. VERDICT Highly recommended, particularly for bilingual collections and where the author's books are popular.—Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, League City, TX

School Library Journal

2016-12-06
In the third book of Max's Lucha Libre Adventures, the titular hero struggles through the complexities of young love as he prepares to fulfill his luchador destiny. "Who knew the life of a twelve-year-old could be this darn complicated?" Uh-oh. Things are heating up between Max and Paloma. Though she's moving to another city, Max can't help but wonder if his newfound friend—who also shares a familial link to the lucha libre world—is more than just a friend. Max's long-distance relationship with the girl of his dreams, Cecilia Cantu, also ends on a less-than-ideal note, muddling matters even more. Meanwhile, Max flies to Los Angeles to watch his tío Rodolfo, the legendary Guardian Angel, compete against some of the fiercest luchadores in the world. As he trains to follow in his renowned uncle's footsteps, Max must face off against a rival of his own. Can Max triumph in both love and lucha libre? Book 3 of Max's journey keeps to the same structure as its predecessors, with short, breezy chapters and a bilingual format (English text on the left, Crosthwaite's Spanish translation on the right). The highlights here are the lucha libre matches. Garza excels at writing scenes full of awesome luchador action and high-octane antics. Though the romance plot at times feels overcooked, it fits within the high-stakes melodrama of the story. Pretty darn good fun. (Fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews